Sunday, January 27, 2008

Barack Obama's Claret & Blue Army!

From Monday's Sun. Another reason to support Barack Obama...

AMERICAN presidential candidate Barack Obama is a secret West Ham fan.MrObama, 46 - battling Hillary Clinton for the Democrats' nomination - has beenfollowing the Hammers ever since a visit to Britain more than five years ago.Andhe keeps in touch with the fortunes of Alan Curbishley's side through hisrelatives in England - who are all Hammers fanatics.The Kent-based clan -related to the US senator after his sister married an Englishman - now hope MrObama will be singing the club's famous anthem "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" allthe way to the White House.The Obama campaign team recently revealed he is amassive football fan and was a nifty player himself while a student at HarvardLaw School.Mr Obama - bidding to become America's first black President -watches Premier League games whenever his schedule allows, as long as matchesdon't clash with his other great love - basketball.A campaign source said:"Obama is a big sports nut and loves his soccer. He never really followed it,though, until he was told all about the passion of West Ham fans by some of hisEnglish relatives."He is always keen to find out how his adopted club aregetting on."Rival Hillary, 60, has been linked with Manchester United afterhubby Bill, the ex-President, revealed during a UK book tour that the Reds werehis favourite team.

HC is the political cruella DeVille. We know she doesnt mean it...besides she cant even do her stumpin' with out Billy....she needs as all of the horses in the race, to focus on education, iraq, and the econonmy....the stimulus is a farce...(the midas touch) ...regardless i feel for who ever wins this horse race (poor mr or mrs next president)

Yeah. Right. Illinois state senator and recently national senator and former American football player (I note, not on the actual team) at Harvard, and now presidential hopeful really gives a crap about what soccer team his sister's husband in faraway England's supports.

Oh, Iain, give me a break. As far as the human mind is able to determine, Obama isn't too sure where England is on the globe.

"... has been following the Hammers ever since a visit to Britain more than five years ago."

Just how many Americans do you suppose have ever heard of West Ham Utd? More to the point, if one is choosing a President on the basis of his sporting allegiances rathethan political abilities etc, then there really is cause to worry.

Iain must have thought it was Christmas when he found that quote - is this fusion blogging? (I assume he must have put it in his football blog too.)

"You couldn't make it up" as they might have said on Match of the Day. The only issue though: is it wise for the man to align himself with a team that never wins anything? I thought he was trying to get up momentum...if he underperforms on Super Tuesday, this might be the cause.

Oooh, what a clever, dismissive remark! Don't those Americans just make you sick? No sense of priorities. Except ... this information was published on a British blog and hasn't, so far as we know, been mentioned in the US at all, so perhaps you should keep your sneering references to the United States to yourself.

[9:38] No, I didn't "forget" that the BBC is taking a great interest in Obama because I didn't know. If you think "vast numbers of Americans" are getting news about their elections from the BBC, you aren't just in a different country; you are in a different universe. Hint: most Americans have never heard of the BBC. Extra hint: they get their political news from Fox and CNN because their own commentators understand American politics and how the American system works and are not Matt Frei.

I really hope Obama doesn't become president. Surely "Change you can believe in" must be the most vacuous political slogan ever invented? His advisers must have thought that if only they could get the words "change" and "believe" into the same sentence, they would win! And it looks as if they might be right. Obama turns up in another town, steps up to a microphone and says "I stand for change you can believe it", and the audience goes wild with applause. It's deeply worrying.

No, there's nothing worrying about a politician who wants to restore faith and trust in politics. That's exactly what Obama is doing. He is reaching out to young people (who are voting in record numbers) who WANT change. They are engaged and his message resonates with the public. That's a great thing.

Brilliant. Iain, you claim to be a Tory, but then up pops this American asshole in favour of big government, high taxes and high spending (most people would call that socialism by the way); and for no other reason than that his sister in law supports West Ham you suggest he might be worth voting for.

I give up. Quite pathetic.

I'm a football supporter too, but the day I ever think that just because somebody else supports the same team that I do makes them worth voting for is the day my vote should be taken away.

Unless Iain you were joking. In which case, make the joke funnier next time. Then we'll know.